Process of distilling bituminous matter



W. MElSCHKE-SMITH PROCESS OF DISTILLING BITUMINOUS MATTERv Filed Apr. 26, 1920 Apr. 3, 1923.

Patent pr. i 23.

` .z KE--SEITHg OF BOLDRE HELL, BLDRE HANTS, ENGL" i B 0F DISTILLING BTUINOS MATTER.

lppliatitm led April 26, 1920. Serial No. 376,844.

To all .'wiwmz't ma@ concern.'

,Beityknown that l, Winnaar Maisonne- SMrrH, -a4 subject of the King of Great .Britailn residing at Boldre Hill, Boldre Hants, England, have invented a new and useful Prcess -ot Distilling Bituniinous Matter, of -whichvthe following is' a specification.:

v Myginvention relatesto the art of distilling,v andmore particularly to the art of distilling.-heavy crude oils, asphalts, refinery residuuuis and other bituminous matter. There are found in many parts ofthe world, and more particularly in Mexico, very heavy oils which are of very little commercial value due to the. fact that they are 'semisolid at ordinary temperatures and so `viscous thattheycannot be pumped through lan ordinary pipe liner lt is also very' dithcult to handle them in tank cars or Steamers due to. theact that they are solid at ordinary temperatures and it is necessary to Aheat them. to cause them, to A'low. These crude oils are also of little value in that it is diiicult Vttrutilize them as fuel without preliminary heating and other uses to which they may be applied are .rather limited. There is also produced a large amount of heavy residuum andasphaltum in the ordinary process :lof refining oils and these heavy residuums and asphaltums are also of very little commercial value due to the limited.

market therefor. v

It is an object of my invention to provide means by which this heavy bituminous matter can be distilled'to produce lighter oils having a much higher commercial value. The value of this heavy bituminous matter is-so low that it is profitable to use methods in which a portion of it is destroyed as the difference in value ofthe remainder more than compensates for this loss.

Referring to the drawing which is for` illustrative purposes only.

Fig. 1 is a sectional elevation of a diagrammatic form ofapparatus bywhich the process can be carried on.

Fig. 2 is a plan view on .line 2 2, Fig. 1, the contents of the stack being removed for the purpose of better showing the inter-l nal construction.

In the form of the invention illustrated in the drawings, a vertical stack 11 is rovided, this stack having included grate ars 12 the lower ends of which coincide with the lowei` portion of an outlet opening 13 Aan ash door 16 and an oil or 'gas burner 1T fed'through a pipe 18 projects into the space below the grate bars 12,'access to this space being had. by means of a door 19 through which a steam pipe 20 projects.

The openings 2l between the grate bars 12 are of such a size as to readil retain a charge of cast iron balls 22 which nnearly hll the stack 11, but which may be removed through the opening 13. The skip hoist 23 is provided which is normally in the posi tionA but which can be raised into the position l for the purpose of dumping the balls through an opening24 normally closed by a-door 25J in a top structure `2tiion, the .top of the stack. 11.v An. oil; pipe'` 27 projectsinto the space at thez top of.the stackI and avapor outletpipe 28 ,is so placedv as to carry gases away thepefrom.

The method of operation is .as follows.:-'

'l`he staclc is, charged withthe balls 22- which are then heated by means of the gas Aburner l?, the hot gases therefrom passing 'wardly therebetween. r'The balls being hot,

a portion of the oil is distilled and is carried oli through the vapor outlet pipe 28. The

-remainder 'of the oil becomes. coked upon'the balls. The whole mass of balls is allowed: to settle as the door 14 is opened and a. ortion of the balls is allowed to discharge t rough the opening 13 into the skip 23. rlhis'door is held open until a skip load of balls is discharged into the 'skip 23 when the door 14 is closed and the balls are elevated. by means. of the skip 23. being dumped into the top of the sta-ck through the opening 24, the door 25 being opened for this purpose.

The oil is allowed to How continuously' through the pipe 26 and the balls are removed from time to time through the open. ing 13 and fed into the top of thestack by means of the skip hoist 23. The whole mass l of balls is therefore intermittently in motion, settling slowly through the stack until lthe carbon coked balls .are sufficiently heated by the hot flamesfrom the burner -17 to cause the carbon to become ignited, this carbon furnishingsuiiicient heat so that the burner '17 may thereafter be shuto'."

The process therefore is a continuous one, the balls slowly .settling in the 'stach and carrying with them the carbon which 1s formed on the surface thereof. As, this car- A bon reaches the combustion zone which is just above the grate l2, the *carbon becomes-vv ignited and furnishes hot gaseswhich pass upwardly between the balls 22, acting uponthe' oii to distiili on the volatile portions,

leaving 'a coating oi coke behind.V These volatile portions are carried off through the pipe 28 and by means of suitable condens` ing apparatus a large` ortion thereof is recovered in theI iorm o a moderately heavy the temperatures rise too high, the steam being passed through the stack tending to lower this temperature and prevent fusion of the balls and too much destructive distillation of the oil fed therein. Y

Obviously other types of apparatus might be utilized' to' carry on my process which is dened fully by the claims annexed hereto.

l claim as myvinventioml. A process of' distiliing bituminous y insana? mattezwhich cemprises into an enclosed'chamberg-.f

i@ incombustible material into sai chamber.; 35

maintaining a .combustion zone/in, aportion of said chamber," 'sai` "haniber' vbein so formed that` the hot gases from said com ustion zone pass between the spaces between' said balls and reduce said bituminous mat- 40 ter to coke before said balls and bituminous matter reach said combustion zoneg-and removlng said balls after they have passedV throu h .said combustionv zone-,so that they e subsequently fed bach-"into'fsaidf t5A may chamber. .l

2. A process of distilling bituminous matter which comprises feeding said matter' into an enclosed chamber; feedin cast iron' balls into said chamber; maintaining a combastion zone inal portion of said'chamberf,v

said chamber being sol formed that the hot gases from said combustion zone pass between the spaces between said balls and reduce said bituminous matter-to 'coke before M said balls and bituminous matter reach said" combustion zone; and removing said lballs after theyhave passed through' said combusfed back into said chamber.

tion, zone so `that they may be subsequently In testimony whereof, I have hereunto set" my hand, at the city of London, Kingdom of Envland, this 24th day of March192()l l l, t 'u i MAM Mhrsc A 

